The estuarine shoreline forms the margin between the land and the sea. It is composed of a wide variety of habitats with attributes and interests associated with both the marine and terrestrial environment. Saltmarshes are dominated by plants tolerant to saltwater. Sand dunes support essentially terrestrial plant and animal communities. In between these extremes there are other habitats and a suite of transitional and successional features of considerable variety. Sand dunes, shingle shores and estuarine habitats are dynamic and show natural and sometimes rapid changes. Their ability to absorb wave energy or move in response to changing sea levels and storms is a significant feature. Too often in the past humankind has failed to recognise these attributes and sought to control this movement. In areas where socio-economic development has taken place the protection of land from erosion and flooding has become a major preoccupation. Where sea level is rising relative to the land or there is a sediment budget deficit or both a ‘coastal squeeze’ takes place. This not only threatens the existence of many wildlife habitats and associated species, but also the ability of the coast to protect us from the sea (flooding and erosion). This paper raises the question as to whether traditional approaches to nature conservation in coastal areas are sufficient to sustain habitats for wildlife, coastal defence and other economic uses. Lessons learnt from two European studies will be presented in further papers showing some of the possible ways of ‘living with the sea’. These are: the LIFE project ‘Living with the Sea’; the EURosion study funded by the European Commission.